[I or Ai (Love)] Doki-doki gestures

From Valentine’s day to White day, this month-long period saturates the atmosphere with the saccharine sweetness of all things lovey dovey. In Japan, Valentine’s day sees girls giving the object of their affections chocolates (honmei-choco); while White day has the guys returning chocolates to the girl they fancy. But the exchange of chocolates aside, there are many other ways to express one’s feelings for his or her dearly beloved (or in Japanese, koibito). Actions do speak louder than words after all, and in the spirit of Afachan’s theme of the month, “I or Ai”, we thought to celebrate love with a feature on the little gestures of love that help keep the romance alive, ignite some passion, and set the heart a flutter (the doki-doki moments). So without further ado, let’s dive right in (this list follows no particular order).

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Serenade your koibito

Music – the universal language of mankind; something that crosses boundaries, builds bridges and defies the confines of words. So if you’re ever at a loss for words, why not serenade your koibito? Nodame shows us just how it is done. I mean, look at how enraptured Chiaki is by her piano concerto~

Give your koibito your autograph

This is a sure fire way of saying, “I acknowledge your confession and I am doing something about it”. Nobody enjoys being overlooked or ignored, least by the person one admires. So take a page out of Nozaki’s book (at 1:07 of the video), and perhaps you could give your almost koibito your autograph when you are greeted with an unexpected confession. If Sakura is any example to go by, this is a definite way to incite the mune-kyun (literal meaning: heart throb).

Kabe-don

Kabe-dons are all the rage at the moment. It is something that many girls supposedly dream of *coughs*. In fact, this is so in-demand at the moment, that Animate’s Niigata branch even offered men a romantic kabe-don experience for Valentine’s day this year. When in doubt, bring on the doki-doki with a nice and strong kabe-don. As shoujo animes have shown, it will definitely steal the hearts of many.

Home-made chocolates, home-cooked meal, etc.

They say the key to one’s heart is through the stomach. Going to great lengths to make something for your koibito is definitely one way to show just how much he/she is on your mind. Why else would so many shoujo series always have some sort of moment when one of the love-struck characters cooks/bakes for his/her koibito? People are extremely receptive to food. And if the food you make tastes great, then that’s a bonus!

Maintain a stoic disposition

Ah, the strong silent type. Who isn’t enamoured by the stoic ones that are always shrouded in mystery? Play it cool (or, with reference to 6:00 of the video, icy chilly), and your koibito is sure to swoon. Remember, the key is to not show any emotions, not even a shred of it. At all.

Marriage proposal

For the more adventurous, determined and rash gallant individuals, maybe just jump right in with a marriage proposal. Okay, this might be a tad extreme, but it does work on occasion! Well, at least it did for Mashiro (Bakuman)! And he had barely even spoken to the girl before.

Show off some skin

There is the allure of leaving it to the imagination with the tease of an almost or a maybe. But showing off a little skin never hurts. So why not have some fun, spice things up and maybe wear a (le gasp) sleeveless shirt or a cropped top! Or, if you’re really confident, just lose the top altogether and make your koibito swoon. It certainly did the trick for Juvia. As they say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it (^_−)−☆ but of course, do make sure that you’re in an appropriate setting for this.

Smile

A smile. It can mean a thousand words. It can change everything. Just the act of smiling in itself is capable of melting the coldest of hearts; is able to evoke an onslaught of emotions within the other person. It is simple, understated and elegant. So flash your brightest and most beautiful smile, and witness as your koibito goes weak at the knees (or in Zen’s case, becomes overwhelm with the urge to kiss Shirayuki *kyaa~~*).

Kiss

A staple in every shoujo anime – a kiss is the quintessential way of expressing one’s feelings for the other. Wait for the opportune moment, and give your koibito a kiss. Do note that the key to this is opportune moment. So if the atmosphere is not right, do not under any circumstances kiss your koibito. Otherwise, it might end up rather one-sided, as is what happened with Haru and Shizuka).

Hold hands

Scenes in shows depicting a couple holding hands can be some of the most touching (heh) scenes. Nothing brings on the warm and fuzzies quite like a really nice and sweet hand hold. Just a little tip – if you have sweaty palms, you might like to consider only doing so when it’s winter and you’ve both got gloves on…

The “suki desu” (telling your koibito you like/love him/her)

If all else fails, why not just go straight to the point and tell your koibito just how much you like him/her? This is a classic. And it really doesn’t even matter what you say! As long as the words “suki” (like / love) surface at some point during the conversation, you’d probably be covered. No kidding, just look at how KyoAni does confessions (that last scene aside).